Detector.



3. & R. L THOMPSON.

DETECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 18. 1916..

Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

gwue'n for cl Thompson 3 RclT/zom psonQ JIM THOMPSON AND ROY J. THOMPSON, OF ELK GROVE, CALIFORNIA,

DETECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

'Application filed October 18, 1916. Serial No. 126,300.

States, residing at Elk Grove, in the county of Sacramento and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detectors; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,- clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in detectors and the principal object of the invention is to provide a device which is particularly adapted for use in connection with electric generators.

Another object of the invention is to provide a detector which is adapted to be used in connection with wireless telegraph apparatus and which is so arranged as to strengthen feeble current and render the same capable of actuating various elements of a wireless apparatus A still further object of the invention. is to'provide a device in which suitable minerals are placed and are connected together by a common wire which leads to a copper diskin the bottom of the jar of the detector so as to establish a positive electrical connection with all of the elements of the detector.

A further object of the invention is to provide a detector having a wire leading thereinto provided with a pair of pointed spurs which engage the uppermost crystals of the various elements in order that electrical contact will be established between the contents of the jar and the latter wire.

A further obj t of the invention is to provide a detector gin which the various parts are held in place by a suitable filling of paraffin or other non-conducting wax or plastic material.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts which will be fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a detector constructed in accordance with this invention, and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referringv to the drawing by characters of reference 1 designates as an entirety the jarof the detector consisting of a suitable cylinder 2 of insulating material having the bottom wall 3 closing the lower end thereof.

A suitable disk 4 of copper or other-suitable conductive metal is placed-within the jar 1 near the bottom wall and has soldered or otherwise attached thereto as shown in Fig. 1 the wire 5 which extends upwardly in the manner shown to a point substantially midway of the upper and lower ends of the jar. A suitable filling of carborundum and iron filings 6 which consists of a mixture of one part carborundum to one part of iron filings is placed in the bottom of the jar and surrounds the plate 4 as clearly illustrated in the drawing. This composition fills the jar to a point substantially one-third of its en-' tire height above the bottom 3 and is provided with a central pocket 7 in which a suitable silicon crystal 8 is seated, the upper end'of which projects above the upper surface of the composition of iron filings and carborundum. The quantity of silicon i is substantially equal to. one-half of the two part mixture of carborundum and iron filings and the upper end thereof is surrounded by .a plurality of crystals 9 of galena the points of Which are disposed upwardly as shown in the drawings to provide necks around which the wire 5 is clamped. As

shown in the drawing the wire 5 is provided with a plurality of loops 10 which surround the necks of the galena crystals 9 and this wire is then continued upwardly as at 11 to form a terminal of the detector. This terminal is preferably connected to the ground of the apparatus to which the device is connected and the aerial connection is established through a wire 12 provided with suitable spurs 13 the points of which contact with the points of the galena crystals as shown in Fig. 1.

- In order to hold'the whole in place and avoid possibility of the various elements becoming dislodged a suitable filling of paraffin designated by the numeral 14 is poured into the upper portion of the jar 1 so as to protect the elements from the action of the atmosphere and also to provide an insulating coating which will hold the various elements in proper relation. It will be understood that the galena crystals 9 are equal in quantity to the quantity of the silicon 8 and thus the mixture of the various elements each consist of one-fourth part.

In operation the current passes from the aerial of the apparatus into the wire 12 thence through the spurs 13 into the galena crystals 9 which being for the greater part of their surface in contact with the silicon will cause the current to flow through said silicon and into the mixture of iron filings and carborundum which cohere to form a bridge across which the current passes into the plate 4 and thence through the wire 5 and loops 16 out through the wire 11 and to the ground. Due to the fact that the loops 10 are in contact at certain points with the galena crystals it will seen that a small part of the current will pass through the crystals directly to the loops but since the area of contact of the galena crystals with the silicon is so much greater than the area of contact of the loops, it will be evident that the greater portion of the current will pass through the silicon and the filings.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that such changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of parts as will fall within the spirit and scope or the inention as claimed.

l/Vhat is claimed is 1 1. A detector including a mixture of carborundum and iron filing, a silicon crystal embedded in said mixture, a plurality of galena crystals in close contact with the silicon crystal and spurs contacting with the galena crystals to facilitate the passage of electrical current therethrough.

2. A detector including a mixture of carborundurn and iron filings, a silicon crystal embedded in said mixture, a plurality of galena crystals in close contact with the silicon crystal, spurs contacting with the galena crystals, a copper plate embedded in the carborundum and iron filings to receive a current passing through the galena crystals and silicon and cause the carborundurn and filings to form a bridge.

3. A detector including iron filings, a silicon crystal embedded in said iron filings, galena crystals in contact with the silicon crystal, and spurs lightly contacting with the galena crystals whereby the passage of a current through the detector will cause the iron filings to cohere and form a bridge.

4-. In a. detector, an insulating jar, a mixture of iron filings and carborundum within the lower portion of the jar, a copper plate embedded in said mixtureof carborundum and iron filings adjacent the bottom wall of the jar, a silicon crystal in close contact with the iron filings and carborundum mixture, galena crystals in close contact with the silicon crystal, :1 ground wire connected to the copper'plate and looped about the galena crystals, an aerial wire leading into the gar, spurs on the end of the aerial wire and adapted to contact lightly with the galena crystals, and a sealing compound within the jar to exclude air from the contact points and hold the various elements in place.

in testimony whereof we aiiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

Jill l THOMPSON. ROY J. THOMPSON.

Witnesses as to Roy J. Thompson:

BENNETT L. Jones, Mann L. Bonus. 

